From one waste mound in 2021 to three by 2023, the development of the Dadumajra dump exemplifies a story of delay and ambiguity. Once a picturesque village lake, City Beautiful has turned into a sprawling dumping ground, marked by missed deadlines and unfulfilled promises.
In 2019, the Metropolitan Corporation announced that it would return the land within months instead of a year, but the waste continued to increase.
In 2022, the civic body again submitted an affidavit to the Punjab and Haryana High Court, promising to clear the first hill by March 2023 and the second soon after. But this year, the MC acknowledged the presence of a third dump. In another affidavit before the HC earlier this month, it kicked the can down the road saying it would take 3.5 years to reclaim the place.
The Municipal Corporation is currently carrying out bio-remediation of the second landfill containing 8 lakh metric tonnes (MT) of legacy waste under Swachh Bharat Mission-II. According to the MC, out of this, 7.80 lakh metric tonnes of waste has been processed. In its affidavit, the MC said the remaining 20,000 metric tonnes of legacy waste and around 1.25 lakh metric tonnes of additional temporary dumps would be fully processed within 43 months.
Meanwhile, locals are grappling with the stench of garbage and the all-pervasive stench of foul-smelling garbage, according to a report by the Punjab Engineering College. people
Even though the foul odor spreads not only in the area but also in the neighboring areas depending on the direction of the wind, the Metropolitan Corporation has been claiming that it has used chemicals to remove it. In its 2022 affidavit before the HC, it said how to minimize odor and environmental impact, waste at both sites is treated with effective microbial solutions.
Leachate continues to flow at the site of the first dump. But the MC, in its affidavit filed earlier this month, claimed that the new machinery, operational from 4 December 2024, is now ensuring that no mixed waste is dumped at the site. As a result, no leachate is generated from the mixed waste, and any prior leachate problems are immediately addressed through treatment at the Leachate Treatment Plant (LTP).
Additionally, the municipal corporation has claimed that there is no gap between waste generation and processing and all operations follow the directives of the National Green Tribunal.
This is a claim rejected by the recent Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) report submitted to the National Green Tribunal (NGT). The CPCB report submitted on December 11 said, “Examination/analysis of reports received at the CPCB head office laboratory shows that none of the eight Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) monitored by the Joint Committee have complied with the prescribed norms. All the STPs do not conform to the norms of the NGT.”
The High Court has sought a detailed reply to the allegation of disorder
The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Friday directed the Municipal Corporation, Chandigarh to file site photographs and file a detailed reply to the main applications alleging systemic mismanagement of the Dadu Majra landfill. The bench chaired by Chief Justice Sheel Nagu and Justice Anil Kshetrapal gave this directive while hearing a public interest petition filed by the residents of the city against the increasing health and environmental risks due to the site.
The PILs, originally filed in 2016 and later linked with another petition in 2021, highlight serious concerns over toxic waste accumulation and repeated violations of waste management laws. The petitioners have argued that despite clear guidelines published by the government in 2016 along with a detailed manual, multiple directions from courts and the National Green Tribunal (NGT), the Municipal Corporation (MC) has failed to implement meaningful solutions.
Municipal corporation sought NGT shield
During the hearing, Gaurav Mohanta, counsel for the MC, sought to transfer the case to the NGT citing an ongoing case (OA 606 of 2018) dealing with similar issues. However, petitioner’s advocate Amit Sharma, appearing in person, opposed the move, calling it a calculated attempt to evade accountability.
“The municipal corporation has a history of delaying or sidestepping the case using some pretext. Now, they are using the NGT proceedings as a pretext for inaction,” Sharma argued. He reminded the court that in 2019, the MC had assured that no new waste would be dumped at Dadu Majra. “Even today, instead of one, there are not only three mountains of garbage but It is alleged that residents are facing painful, gruesome deaths due to pesticides, while the MC has spent crores on study tours and processing plants but with no results.
Applications awaiting responses
Sharma drew attention to two critical applications that were unanswered or inadequately addressed by the MC. An application filed earlier this year sought a detailed explanation of the MC’s waste management strategy, compliance with environmental laws, and discrepancies in earlier submissions. Sharma noted that the MC’s reply to this petition was contradictory. Joint Commissioner Gurinder Sodhi claimed that the proposed project was meant for a waste-to-energy plant, thus contradicting an affidavit filed by the Municipal Commissioner on February 5, 2024, which stated that such a plant was not feasible as it would violate solid waste. Management Rules, 2016.
The second application questioned the MC’s compliance with basic environmental laws and its decision to set up a landfill in a water body less than 10 feet from a residential area. Sharma highlighted that no response to this application has been forthcoming, leaving serious questions unanswered.
Allegations of tampered DPR and mismanagement
Sharma also raised serious concerns about the Detailed Project Report (DPR) submitted by the MC in November 2023. The DPR which the MC tried to hide from the petitioner was finally received through certified copy. It revealed more than 150 handwritten changes, failed to present an accurate financial and operational plan, and was signed by an electrical engineer from IIT with no expertise in waste management. Sharma alleged that the DPR submitted after the MC had issued the false notice was a deliberate attempt to mislead the court and settle the case without addressing the real issue at the scene.
Court’s direction
After hearing the petition, the division bench has directed the municipality to submit on-site photographs and transparent answers to the two petitions highlighted by Sharma.
The bench also mentioned that the issue of perjury raised by Sharma will be addressed in the next hearing. The next hearing of the case is scheduled for January 15, 2025.
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